• India retain top spot in ICC`s year-end test rankings, following a famous 137-run win in Melbourne Test against Australia; England and New Zealand at second and third place while Australia placed fifth.

• India maintained their 116 points to consolidate their top place followed by the English team, who are placed at the second spot with 108 points.

• Meanwhile, New Zealand team that won fourth consecutive Test series and finished the year on 107 points, have overtaken South Africa by two points to move up to the third position after completing a 1-0 win over Sri Lanka in their concluded two-Test series.

• The fourth-placed South African team can reach 110 points and move up to the second spot by blanking the opposition.

 

 

• It turned out to be a glorious 2018 for India captain Virat Kohli and South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada. 

• Both maintained their respective pole positions in the year-end ICC Test Player Rankings.

• Kohli enjoys a 34-point lead over nearest rival Kane Williamson of New Zealand.

• Rabada, who split the top ranking with England`s seasoned fast bowler James Anderson during the year, is just six points ahead of his adversary.

• Kohli`s compatriot Cheteshwar Pujara has also maintained his fourth position after a first-innings century in Melbourne. Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant has gained 10 slots to reach a career-best 38th position.

• The International Cricket Council is the global governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from Australia, England and South Africa. It was renamed as the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.

• Its headquarters is in Dubai, UAE.

 

• The government is trying to identify sportspersons at a very young age so that they can be trained and nurtured to become world class champions, Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore said .

• Sports Ministry will soon conduct a physical test for two crore youngsters aged between 8 and 12 years, he said.

• The Minister said, out of them one thousand young talent will be selected for further training.

• He was addressing the closing ceremony of Mission Olympics Sports Meet-2019 organised by Police Families Welfare Society of Delhi Police in New Delhi. 

• The Minister said, the government is taking several steps to promote the sports culture in the country. He said, the government is also creating a conducive environment and culture for sports. 

• Col Rathore informed that the second Khelo India Games will be held in Pune this year from 9th of this month. 

• He said, last year around three thousand 500 school children had participated in the event and this year around nine thousand 500 youth will participate.

 

 

• Favourites India look to create history as they face Australia in the fourth and final Test, starting in Sydney.

• Leading 2-1 in the four-match series, India have already retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after victory in Melbourne. 

• Virat Kohli thus is in a unique position as the only Indian captain to go into the final Test on Australian soil with the cushion of a lead. But India will be looking to make it 3-1. One more win will take Kohli ahead of Ganguly, whose record of winning 11 overseas Tests has already been surpassed by Kohli.   

• India will be taking on Australia in the three-match ODI series, with the first ODI beginning in Sydney on the 12th of this month.

 

 

• The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) meeting in Sonepat today revoked suspension of former national champion Soumyajit Ghosh. 

• The suspension was handed out to him in March this year following allegations of rape against him by an ex-girlfriend. 

• The allegations prompted the TTFI to provisionally suspend him, which meant the paddler was left out of India`s Commonwealth Games squad in Gold Coast. 

• Ghosh`s legal troubles finally came to an end after he married the rape accuser four months after his career nose-dived owing to the crisis. The withdrawal of suspension means Ghosh is eligible to participate in all national and international tournaments, with the Senior Nationals starting at Cuttack.

 

 

• Under-fire Australia cricketer-turned-commentator Kerry O`Keeffe penned an open letter to Indian fans and players, apologising for his controversial comments made during the just-concluded Boxing Day Test between India and Australia in Melbourne. 

• He was responding to the flak he received for his racist jokes on Indian players made on air during the course of the Boxing Day Test. O`Keeffe said, his jokes were interpreted wrongly and he never had the intention to disrespect Indian Cricket.

 

 

• Third edition of women`s national boxing championships begins in Vijayanagara, Karnataka. Country`s top boxers will be vying for top honours as the tournament will be held at the JSW Sports-owned Inspire Institute of Sport till 6th of the next month.

• With close to 250 entries received from 31 states and institutions, pugilists will compete in all 10 weight categories.

• World Championship silver and bronze medallists boxers, Sonia Chahal, Lovlina Borgohain, Pinky Jangra and Nikhat Zarin will be trying to upstage one another in the race to claim the top honours.

• Boxing Federation of India, BFI President Ajay Singh said, the nationals are extremely important not just because champion boxers are competing here but because they will prove to be great inspiration for the other participating boxers.

 

 

• Asian Games and Youth Olympic Games champion Saurabh Chaudhary swept the 10m air pistol trials at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range by winning the second National trial competitions in both the men`s and junior boy`s categories. 

• Saurabh had won the first trial in both events on Saturday as well and in one final shooting event way above the existing world record score.

• He won the men`s final with a relatively modest 243.3 score, leaving behind Punjab`s Arjun Singh Cheema, who shot 239.8 to emerge second.